Those Who Wait
by XxSweet-NightmarexX
Summary: All Desmond ever wanted was a normal life. Unfortunately for him, that was never to be. When he meets a mysterious woman while tending a bar, his life changes forever. AU, DesmondxOC
1. Prologue: Failure

Author's Note: First off, I don't own Assassin's Creed. Anyways, this is an idea I've had brewing in my head for a long time now. I've got it mostly planned out. I'll openly admit I haven't played the first game, so I'm doing my best to simply make my character not present for it. I know the important stuff and that's pretty much it. Two and on, however, quickly made the series one of my favorite, and deserving of a full fanfiction. :) I hope you enjoy, please review, I love criticism.

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Prologue

My name's Rae. Just Rae. And today is one of the hundreds of tragedies I've had to witness in my life.

It was my duty to protect him. Clay was not born into the assassins, but recruited. That didn't matter. I knew when I saw him that he had been born to be in the brotherhood. Not because of his skills; he had an impressive bloodline to say the least, that much I knew. He took to the training with enthusiasm, seeming to enjoy being part of something bigger than himself. Occasionally, I would eavesdrop on conversations between him and his father. Unfortunately, his father did not approve of his new 'job', as it did not pay enough to pay for his wine tastes.

His first true solo mission was where everything went wrong. He was captured by Abstergo and made to test like a lab rat for their search for the Pieces of Eden through the Animus. I was told to stay back, to let him work, because it was information the brotherhood also desperately needed. I disagreed, followed in secret, watched carefully from the ventilation system, made not a sound but waiting, always waiting.

But the rescue the brotherhood had planned, that I had been watching for, never came. I watched helplessly as the blood flowed and his body went limp, struggling with the vent, trying desperately to get the cover off. When it was clear it was too late, I ran. I stayed at the funeral until everyone had left, the body lowered. Rain began to fall and still I stayed, because I had failed.

Thunder rolled, and still, I stayed.


	2. Chapter 1: Acquaintance

Author's Note: Again, I still don't own Assassin's Creed. Obviously, I'm uploading the prologue and first chapter at once, since I'd hate to leave you all with a mysterious prologue for however long. Here we get to REALLY meet our main character, along with Desmond. Review please! I love hearing from you!

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Chapter 1

"Damn, woman, you can really hold your liquor!" I appraised the bartender with dark eyes, clinging to a now empty glass. Displeased that I was still capable of deep thought, I waved my hand for another round. The drink had hardly touched glass when I tipped my head back and downed half the glass. I had just discovered the bottom of my glass did not hold the answers I sought and was about to ask for another when I heard the door open, and felt an irresistible pull behind me. I blinked hard, clearing my head, and listened carefully, pulling my coat more firmly around my shoulders.

"Hi, I'm here for the bartending job?"

"Ah, right, the applicant. Follow me. What was your name again?"

"Desmond Miles."

My heart stopped.

Unable to resist the urge, my head whipped around so hard I felt my neck pop. The resemblance was uncanny. The name impeccable. The pull unmistakeable. Part of me wanted to walk up and tell him everything.

I gave in to the other part of me, which bid me run to the bathroom, lock myself in a stall, and struggle for the breath that had left me. Once I was feeling relatively normal again, I left the stall and splashed water from the sink on my face. The coolness of the water cleared my head of the drink and shock. My dark hair, brushed but unkempt, hung around my pale face like a frame. My hazel eyes had dark circles from lack of sleep; such did not come easy for one like me. Clothes wrinkled, frame drooping, I could not present myself like this. I would come back the next week, cleaned up and more informed. Was he in the brotherhood? If he wasn't, how would I even begin to start?

It mattered little now. A quick glance around the bar to make sure it was safe, and I fled. Outside, I raised my hood, face shadowed in the dusky twilight. The street was deserted of all but the bar goers, and I proceeded on my way, glancing over my shoulder as I went.

For a week I took high dosage sleeping pills to help with the bags under my eyes. I thoroughly washed my hair, then cut a good five inches off, so it hung just a few inches longer than my shoulders. Trimmed the front into neat bangs. Bought new clothes. New mission; get close to the target. How would he ever believe what I had to tell him unless he trusted me? I stared into my closet, thinking hard about what to wear. I settled on a pair of hip hugging, curve showing jeans and a tight, dark red t-shirt. As eye catching as possible. A pair of leather boots and a light leather jacket completed the ensemble. Back to the bar.

It was a fairly usual night. Lights flashing, beats pounding, drunk or going-to-be-drunk people lounging right up next to the bar nursing whatever colorful concoction piqued their curiosity. Behind the bar, Desmond looked completely at ease, chatting it up with the more coherent guests while deftly mixing drinks. He was surprisingly good at it for not having been here that long. It pained me to know that I was going to have to crush this happiness. For the time being, I put it out of my mind and strode confidently to the bar, tossing my hair as I did so. From the quick glance-look-away I received, I would guess he noticed.

"Hey," the bartender slid down to where I sat, friendly smile in place. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Surprise me," I replied with a coy smile, hiding my excitement. There was no doubt. I'd finally found him. He smiled back and came back quickly with a colorful concoction of who knows what, which he simply referred to as "my specialty". I took a long drink, surprised by its sweetness.

"What's your name?" he asked casually, leaning against the bar, cleaning one glass absentmindedly. I smirked; he'd already cleaned it once.

"I'm Rae, how about you?" I leaned purposefully across the bar, head resting on my hand, elbow planted firmly.

"Desmond," he replied after a momentary pause. My smile widened.

"Well Desmond, whatever this is, it's divine," I complemented. I took another sip to hide my amusement at the blush that spread over his cheeks. I couple of customers chose that moment to start demanding his attention a little further down. He dithered, uncertain, unwilling to leave this chance. I smiled kindly and reached for a napkin, pulling out an old fashioned fountain pen.

"Listen, give me a text at this number when you have a day off, and maybe we'll talk more," I let the sentence hang for a moment before handing over the napkin. I also tried to pay for the drink, but he refused, insisting it was on him. I smiled gratefully, turned, and left the crowded bar.

In the safety of the dark, I let a wide smile stretch my features, every tooth showing, as if I had been given a marvelous prize. I pulled my hood over my head and fled down a deserted alley, feeling lighter than I had in months.

It wasn't but a few days later that I received a text. Seizing my phone, I clicked open the message from the unfamiliar number.

_Meet me at the bar tonight at seven?_

I grinned like a stupid school girl and sent back the affirming text, then fled to my room to get ready. My apartment was small, cozy, and all I needed. I was used to living constantly on the move, so I didn't need much. All of my necessaries would easily fit into a single backpack. However, I'd been able to settle here for quite a long time with no word from nosy Templars. Either they had no idea where I was, or they didn't consider my presence a threat right now.

I threw on a flowing knee length skirt, a collared blouse, and went to work on my face. My makeup was easy enough; just some natural shades to accent my features. My hair was a different story. It didn't like to cooperate with me. I braided two long sections on either side of my face, then pulled the whole thing up into a loose bun. To any normal guy, I would be irresistible. I left the apartment, a spring in my step and a spark in my eye.

The meeting and dates to follow were simple enough, but enough all the same. Movies, dinner, walks in the park, even going down to the coast once. I needed to tell him soon, who I was, who he was, and what we were destined to do, but I stayed silent. This was so much easier. With the lack of Templars, after all, I had all the time in the world.

And then the moment ended.

I went to meet him at the bar shortly after he got off work, a spring once again in my step, dressed simply in jeans and a t-shirt, my long black coat wrapped around my shoulders, hood down. As I rounded the corner, my heart sank lower than my stomach.

Strange men, shoving Desmond into an unmarked car. I could just barely make out a symbol on one man; Abstergo.

"NO!" I cried, my heart pounding. They slammed the door and began to drive away. I raced after the car, reaching out as though I could stop it through pure will alone. "Desmond!"

It rounded a corner, and I collapsed to my knees, breathing hard.

Again, I failed.


	3. Chapter 2: The Team

Author's Note: Still don't own Assassin's Creed. So, since I got a couple of reviews, here's a new chapter! :D Please keep reviewing, I love to hear feedback! Just one more chapter and we'll have Desmond back, and then things will really get interesting.

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Chapter 2

I spent the next week on the computer, emailing contacts within the assassins, trying to find someone to help me. Through my researching, I learned that Desmond was the son of William Miles, a distinguished but distant assassin. I'd met the man once. I wasn't fond of him. I'd never guessed that he had been part of the line I'd been so carefully following. Maybe if I'd spoken to him about it we would have been able to stop Abstergo before this all would have gone wrong. My fist clenched in fury. I was so stupid. To think I had time.

I managed to find a link to a team of assassins that had just been reassigned to the city; team was putting it lightly. There was only three; two techies, then one that was currently a sleeper agent at Abstergo. My eyes stung. I knew about the sleeper. If she had acted sooner, Clay wouldn't have...

No time to dwell on it now. I needed to contact these Assassins, to find a way to free Desmond before he fell to the same fate. I would not fail again. I could not. But Assassins were not a trusting bunch, I would know. Knocking on their front door would get me nowhere. I would have to sneak in and make them listen to me. Besides, I could handle two techies.

* * *

I followed the lead to an abandoned warehouse. Really subtle, guys. I pulled my coat around my shoulders, hood firmly in place over my head. In the dead of night, I was nearly invisible. I slipped in through a back door, deftly picking the lock. The inside was dark, but I had always been blessed with exceptional sight; after a few moments of adjusting, I continued slinking through the shadows, listening, watching for a sign. They had to be here somewhere.

"Shaun, get up off your ass and help me pack, we've gotta be ready to move in two days!" A harsh woman's voice snapped.

"No need to get so snappy, I'm not the one with three trunks full of equipment!" A male voice, distinctly British, replied curtly, and the quiet sound of a keyboard filled the silence. I followed the gentle clicking, climbing swiftly as a squirrel into the rafters, picking up a stone on the way. At the very top, I chucked it as hard as I could. It clattered distantly to the ground. All sounds stopped.

"I'll go check it," the woman muttered, and I heard the sound of a gun cocking. Didn't anyone use the hidden blades anymore? I saw the shadowy figure appear from the one spot of light; the movement of her head told me she was expecting to be jumped at any minute. This had been an awful idea, but too late now.

I dropped to the ground directly behind her with a dull thud. She whipped around to confront me but I deftly snatched the gun from her slackened grip and threw it as hard as I could away from us. She swung a fist clumsily, uncertain in the dark of where I was. I dodged her attacks, not wanting to harm, only to have them listen. The dull light behind me brightened suddenly, and I felt cold steel meet my throat.

"Who are you?" The man called Shaun demanded. The woman narrowed her eyes at me. I recognized her from a file I had found once; Rebecca Crane. One of the brightest minds in the brotherhood, who would prefer sitting behind a desk all day to actually fighting.

"I'm a friend, an Assassin, I came to talk!" I replied with my hands up. I could tell from the 'pfft' noise that Rebecca did not believe me. I had to make them believe. "Here, look." I held out my arm to her, the arm on which I equipped my Hidden Blade. Rebecca frowned at it. Shaun didn't budge. "Oh, come on, if I'd wanted either of you dead you'd have already been dead. It's about Desmond." Rebecca glanced over my shoulder, nodded, and I was released. I rubbed my neck for a moment, then continued my explanation.

"My name's Rae. I've been an Assassin for... a long time. My current mission was to find Desmond and bring him into the Brotherhood. I don't know much beyond that, just that it's imperative that I find him again. He was taken right in front of me... I know what they'll do if we give them the time, and we must not let it happen!" Shaun started speaking before I'd even finished, leading our group inside of the little hideout. It was obvious they were leaving soon, chests lay open with all kinds of content thrown inside.

"We know, we were notified a few days ago about it. Bill's been searching for Desmond ever since he left home. You can imagine his surprised when Abstergo managed to find him first. So now, we follow, get him out, simple enough. On the way I'll be sneaking into their databases and collecting any information I can find about him. Day after tomorrow... or, looking at the time, tomorrow, we'll be flying to Italy to prepare for his escape. Abstergo will be looking for us once he's out, so we have to be well hidden," he explained very quickly.

"Why haven't you gone before? It's been nearly two weeks since he was abducted! You could've already had him out by now!" I shouted. Shaun grumbled and sat back at his computer as Rebecca continued the explanation.

"We would have, we really would, but Abstergo has infinitely more resources at their disposal. We had to get fake passports, get the money for the tickets, and for all of our cargo. Flying to Italy isn't cheap, we couldn't just get up and go," she finished by chucking a piece of equipment unceremoniously into one of the trunks. I sighed at the logic. Unfortunately, it was very true.

"Here, I'll help you pack," I offered, arranging things much more neatly to make room for more of the equipment. Rebecca blinked gratefully at me.

"Thanks, Rae. A lot more helpful than the lazy ass I call a partner!" her tone turned prickly as she glared at Shaun.

"Watch who you're calling a lazy ass! How would you like to tip toe into the Abstergo database, knowing a single wrong move could have Templars knocking down our door?!" he protested loudly, going back to his computer. "Good news is Desmond is alive and well; he's cooperating so they won't harm a hair on his head until they have what they need. After that... Well, hopefully we'll be there before we have to worry about that." He cast a glance to the side. "I hope you have a plan to get on board that flight with us or you won't be going anywhere." I smirked.

"Don't you worry about me," I assured them. "Just keep me posted. I'll be back tomorrow night." I turned and vanished out the door, slipping silently out the way I came before either could protest.

I spent the rest of the day hunting down a woman with a ticket. I lifted her whole wallet, wrote down the information I needed, then slipped it back into her pocket before she even noticed it was gone. The ticket, however, was now residing in my inner breast pocket. The weather had turned suddenly chilly, heralding the beginning of fall, making my hooded coat all the more appropriate. I returned to my apartment, used my few resources to quickly forge the documents I needed, and packed up my necessities. I looked at the other niceties I'd enjoyed during my extended stay, and sighed. I sprayed hairspray over and in everything I intended to leave behind, then lit a few small fires. They would spread soon enough. Halfway down the block, I heard the alarms go off. No Templar would find anything of use there when that fire was through, that I made sure of. I left various flammables amongst the slow moving flames, making sure that once it took hold, it devoured everything. One backpack was all I took; my computer, a few weapons, and a couple of changes of clothes. I was used to saying goodbye to belongings. I returned to the pair of assassins that evening.

"Heard about a fire about a mile from here. You I take it?" Shaun questioned. I nodded. "Police say it was just an accident, too much hairspray and smoking. Impressive." It hadn't been much, but I felt a glow of pride all the same.

"Thank you. I hate to ask, but is there anywhere here I could rest tonight? Obviously my bed is a pile of ash and I haven't slept in a day and a half," Exhaustion pulled on my limbs and eyelids, making me feel heavy and clumsy. Rebecca nodded and motioned for me to follow. A couple of well worn cots stood near each other, covered by thick throw blankets.

"You can share mine," she told me. "I'm gonna keep watch tonight and get the rest of the packing done, at least for a little while. I bet Shaun'll watch the rest of the time to get in a little more work before the flight. It's scheduled for eight, we'll wake you." I gave a tiny bow of thanks and placed my stuffed backpack next to the little cot.

"Rebecca?" She glanced back. "Thank you." She smiled.

"Hey, it's no problem. After all, you're one of us! We've gotta watch out for each other," she walked away. I smiled and laid down, closing my eyes and falling into a fitful and restless sleep.

The next morning we woke early. I had not slept well, thus it made no difference to me whether we woke early or late; either way, I would've still been tired. Shaun was already well awake, having swapped with Rebecca partway through the night. Rebecca, however, immediately demanded we stop at a Starbucks for a strong cup of coffee. We loaded up a rental van with the trunks and headed for the airport. We dropped our luggage and arranged for it to be loaded(after many security checks), then Shaun left to return the van at the nearby rental place, leaving Rebecca and I searching for a coffee place in the airport. When we found one, it was unimpressive. We could either get black, or black with cream and sugar. Rebecca took the former, I the latter, and we sat sipping in silence, each of us carrying a pillow for the flight. She'd brought an e-book reader with her; I brought a plain journal. It was many in a long line. I always ended up having to burn them - too many useful secrets should the Templars capture it - but I enjoyed having something for my hands to do when I had the opportunity.

Shaun soon returned by taxi, also bringing with him the gift of doughnuts, sweet delicious doughnuts. Rebecca mumbled a sleepy thanks as she tucked in. My thank you was a little more coherent, and he nodded. Perhaps an apology for threatening to kill me, but it was not needed. He left to finish checking himself in, though once he was back, we still had thirty minutes to kill, so he took up a few doughnuts as well. Before long we had devoured the whole box-worth. Rebecca's head drooped until she was snoring on her pillow again. Shaun and myself simply sat in silence until our flight was called, when we dragged Rebecca to her feet and boarded the plane.

The flight was long and boring. I miss the days when crossing an ocean involved a ship, the spray of the water and wind on my face, the excitement of the waves as they lifted the hull up. But those days were long gone. Besides, that would have taken many many days, days we didn't have. The flight was faster by far, but that didn't make me any less anxious to land. When we finally did land, the three of us gathered up the cargo and Shaun went to go acquire another van. Once we were loaded up, we drove. We finally parked at what seemed to be a recently vacated warehouse of some kind. It could have also been an office building, or some kind of merging of the two. We unloaded and set up the new office. While I helped Rebecca with her equipment, Shaun jumped straight back on his laptop to give us an update.

"Everything's fine for now," he called over his shoulder. "But I think they're getting close to whatever they're looking for. We should prepare for them to show up any day."

"Yes, your Majesty," Rebecca grumbled, piecing together her computers and hardware. Shaun glared furiously at her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was under the impression that you thought you were the queen of England. Ass." I snorted, but interrupted before the bickering could continue.

"What is this Rebecca?" I ran my hand along a familiar device. "It looks like an Animus, but no one outside of Abstergo has that technology yet. Right?" Rebecca laughed.

"That's what they'd like you to think!" she declared. "Baby here is the Animus 2.0, better than anything at Abstergo. However, it's not quite complete yet, still a few bugs to work out, I'll be able to finish it once I get in contact with our agent, after we get Desmond out." She turned and went back to her work while I went for a little air in the open 'warehouse' space. The huge room was wide and for the most part open, with several things to climb on. I shimmied up to the top catwalks, then sat with my legs dangling over.

_Just a little longer._


	4. Chapter 3: The Return

Author's Note: Still don't own Assassin's Creed. I couldn't help it, I had this all written out and couldn't wait to post it. Enjoy, and pretty please review! I love hearing from you guys. :)

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Chapter 3

The days were long and agonizing as I waited for some word on what was happening at Abstergo. Shaun and Rebecca continually assured me all was well, that there was no reason to be worried. Yet. During some down time, Rebecca pulled out a map and showed me where they were holding him. It wasn't far from us, but far enough that it would take too long to walk there when it was time to bust Desmond out. I'd already assured both that I would be going to free him, and that they would not stop me. And that they would tell me if his life was in danger. I would never let what happened to Clay happen again.

In my evenings, I went searching for suitable transportation. It was a slow process, but I finally found something to my liking; a motorcycle, a classic Harley style. Obviously it wasn't the real deal, some kind of Italian imitation, but I watched its owner go in and out of a nearby bar night after night over the course of a week. It ran well and was fast, everything I needed. One night, I followed the fellow into the bar. It was crowded and loud, and he never noticed me slip up behind him and take the keys right out of his pocket. I watched carefully for him to leave sight of the window before exiting, starting up the bike, and riding away.

I rumbled into the warehouse portion of our little hidey hole, parking it and heading upstairs to the office space. Shaun and Rebecca stared at me as I strode in, for once not doing anything at all.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Shaun demanded oh so eloquently.

"Rae, please tell me you did not steal a motorcycle," Rebecca begged. "You know, it's already hard enough to hide us without the cops looking actively for one of our vehicles!" I smirked and lifted a bag with spray paint, various tools and a freshly forged license plate.

"When I'm done with it, they won't recognize it," I assured them. "No reason to panic." They looked apprehensive, but went back to their work. I left the room and headed downstairs, beginning my work to disguise my new ride. By the time I was done with it, it was now a bright white with silver accents, with a fresh new license plate number. I hung leather tassels from the handle bars, making it even more different than when I stole it. No one would ever suspect.

My work finished, I returned to the high up cat walk and powered up my own laptop. My fingers danced lightly across the keys, trying to gain control of the security cameras. To my disappointment, they all seemed to be offline, so I moved to other endeavors. I searched the internet for anything that might concern Abstergo and what they were doing. Nothing came up, but the person who's bike was now mine was raving on the news about his precious motorcycle. _I'll return it when I'm done with it._

Sleeping was an impossibility while Desmond was held captive, so I stayed up, leaping around our little headquarters, keeping an eye out for Templars so the two other Assassins could sleep. I was counting on them, and they needed to be well rested. After they rose in the morning, I would find a patch of morning sun and doze lightly, instantly alert should either of them call me into the office. So far, all was going well. Unfortunately it left me rather useless, so I was often left to go on the 'housekeeping' errands. Food, mainly.

In the evenings before the other Assassins went to bed, but while it was dark, I would circle the Abstergo building restlessly, like a wolf on a scent, but with a mountain between me and my goal. Occasionally a guard would look down an alley or on a roof where I hid, only to blink and rub his eyes as though he'd been seeing things. I couldn't find a solid, unguarded way in, for all my searching. Disappointed, I would return home, nothing to show for my efforts. Heh, home. As if I had one of those.

What we expected to be the last night before breaking Desmond out, I started a small 'campfire' in the warehouse, cracking the windows to let the smoke escape. I ran my hand over my journal, then slowly dropped it into the fire. Should things go wrong, I could not leave it for them to find. I took my belongings and hid them in the ceiling of one of the office rooms, making sure no tile looked out of place.

Satisfied there was nothing else for me to do, I waited. I watched the moon rise and fall and hoped by this time tomorrow we would have Desmond back.

* * *

The next morning the two other Assassin's woke early. I was already preparing. Black jeans, gray shirt, leather boots, and my long, black coat with the eagle's beak completed my assassin ensemble, with the symbol delicately carved on my belt buckle and faintly embossed on the coat's back. I carefully fitted my hidden blades to my wrists, covering them with my sleeves. Two long, curved daggers I hid in two holsters on the inside of my coat. I took a single pistol and slipped it into a holster at my back, under the coat. To complete the look, I tied my hair back in a tight bun and pulled a thin, clingy tube of fabric over the bottom of my face, hiding all but my eyes. Not only to protect my identity from Abstergo, but also from Desmond. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell him I was an Assassin yet.

"Rae, get in here!" Rebecca called. I followed her voice into the office. Shaun was typing away on the laptop, while Rebecca furiously hacked at hers. Covering his tracks I assumed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Lucy's busting him out today, as we planned, but sooner than expected," Shaun didn't even have time for a snarky side comment, so focused was he on his work. "You need to go. Now." I nodded and left. I kicked the motorcycle to life and headed to the Abstergo parking garage, where they would be coming out. No time for stealth, I shot the guard at the front and zoomed up to the floor where they would be making their escape. I screeched the motorcycle to a stop, quickly put up its kickstand, and burst into action.

Desmond and Lucy came streaking out of the building with guards on their tail, and more meeting them in the lot. I whipped out my daggers and leaped on the nearest one. The blood gushed as my blade found his throat, and I moved on, mumbling a quick 'rest in peace'. I twirled and slashed. Desmond threw sloppy punches as Lucy disarmed one and started beating the others with the baton. She ran over and popped a trunk.

"Quick, Desmond, get in," she called. His face was incredulous.

"Are you serious?" He questioned, hesitating.

"Please, trust us, just get in!" I called, lashing out at another guard. He tried to run, but I couldn't have him reporting to his bosses; I threw my dagger, and it landed with a thud in his back. I heard the trunk slam, and I ran to my bike.

"Take different routes back!" I called. Lucy nodded impatiently, and we peeled out, each going a different direction. I immediately had guards on their own bikes on my tail. I revved it into high gear and squealed around each corner, trying to shake them, but they were good. After an hour of chasing, however, they seemed to grow tired of this game, becoming sloppier. I took a few sharp turns down a few intertwining alleys when I was suddenly alone. Taking a deep breath, I turned the bike around and headed back to headquarters.

* * *

I arrived to see the car already parked, the engine already grown cold. She must've shook her pursuers much more quickly. I headed inside after slowly guiding and parking the bike inside. The car was generic enough, but the bike would stick out in their minds. I'd have to repaint it.

"Did everyone make it okay?" I called up, voice echoing off the walls as I climbed the stairs.

"Yes, no thanks to Desmond here," Shaun called back scathingly. I rolled my eyes, but did not remove my hood or mask as I entered the office area. The animus was already set up and ready to go, Rebecca muttering quickly about some new hardware Lucy brought her or something, her attention completely absorbed. Desmond stood nearby while he waited for her to finish. I let out a silent sigh of relief. I'd not failed after all, here he was, safe and sound. But I made no move that he was a familiar face as he smiled at me.

"Hey, thanks for the help earlier," he said graciously. I smiled, though he couldn't see it.

"My pleasure," I gave a tiny bow of acknowledgment. Rebecca glance over her shoulder and let out a surprised squeak.

"Rae! Oh, thank God, I though Abstergo had got you!" She called, standing and hugging my suddenly rigid frame. Desmond froze.

"_Rae?"_ My eyes went to the floor. I pulled my hood back, released my hair from its bun, and pulled the mask down and away from my face. His eyes grew hard.

"Of course. Another Assassin. I guess my father sent you, right? Trying to drag me back to the brotherhood! I should've known you were a little too nice, just a little too smooth..." I felt tears threatening to well up behind my eyes.

"Desmond, please-"

"I don't want to hear it." He stormed from the room, eyes dark, frame rigid, fury flowing off of him like cold water.

"You don't understand!" I called, chasing after him. I reached out to grab his arm, but he snatched it away, turning to glare at me.

"Don't understand what? That you lied to me? That you were just using me-"

"Please, Desmond, you don't know the half of it, I was sent to find you, but not by your father. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you!" I cried. "Please listen to me!" He shouldered coldly past me.

"Whatever."


End file.
